From the 1st VP Eric J. Wales, CPL

by: Martha Mills at 1/30/2017 2:08:07 PM |
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Happy 2017 LAPL!

I think it is safe to say that many of us are happy that 2016 is over, and we can look forward to a new year, full of new possibilities. Hopefully we will all be able to breathe easier this year with an ample amount of work for all. Like a wise person once told me, there’s enough for everyone!

A new year brings on new LAPL events to look forward to. We are currently working towards finalizing crawfish boil/golf tournament plans, and are investigating the possibility of changing things up a little this year. We have been discussing the idea of having a spring seminar in conjunction with the crawfish boil and golf tournament. We are also speaking with groups outside of the LAPL associated with our industry, to possibly combine resources to reduce costs for the event. The motivation behind these new ideas is to hopefully breathe new life into a classic LAPL event. Although adding a seminar to the crawfish boil and golf tournament is certainly a positive addition for our members, we also anticipate that it will encourage more of the non-members who receive invites to the event, to make it a point to attend.

As expected with the downturn of the industry in the past few years, our membership has suffered. Even though we have dropped a bit in numbers, an important note here and certainly one to hang our hats on, is that we are still considered a large association according to the AAPL. Even through these rough times, we have been able to maintain a healthy membership. With that said, we can always make things better! If you have friends and/or work associates that are not LAPL members, please encourage them to join our association. I have learned over time that things like the LAPL keep me in the game, so to speak, in more ways than one. In a profession that is primarily made up of independent contractors, locally speaking, it is good to have a group of people you can turn to who have the same work conditions as yourself. Often it may be hard to relate to others who are salary employees, who don’t necessarily encounter the same types of work instances as we do.

Please reach out to your fellow work associates who are not currently LAPL members, and request that they join our association. I think a great starting point here, is for each of us to get at least one person we know in the land business to join the LAPL. I cannot think of a better way to continue to grow and flourish as an association. As we all know, there is strength in numbers!

I would like to point out the importance of our sponsors. The LAPL is very lucky to have the sponsors that we have; none of this is possible without you! The generosity of our sponsors has kept us alive and kicking during this downturn, not to mention with the reduction in membership. Our sponsors continue to support and make things happen throughout each year. Please thank our sponsors whenever you see them at events or even around Lafayette. On behalf of LAPL, I would like to extend a true heart felt THANK YOU SPONSORS!

If you or someone you know would like to sponsor a Safety Meeting, please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or someone else in the organization. We are always looking for safety meeting sponsors to keep the tradition alive. It is often something that gets repeated in the newsletter, but safety meeting really are a great way of keeping in touch with other professionals in our industry.

It has been a great experience being the 1st VP thus far, and I am looking forward to more fun with LAPL throughout the year!